Saturday, February 28, 2004

Carrots Love Tomatoes

Many years ago when I began my foray into vegetable gardening, I stumbled across a little paperback book entitled Carrots Love Tomatoes – Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening by Louise Rotte. Armed with my Saturday morning coffee and a green highlighter I curled up on the sofa and began reading. Within an hour, the poor book looked as though it had been through a war. Many pages were dog-eared and MANY entries were highlighted in green.

The following week I went to my favorite gardening store (everyone has one) and picked up a variety of vegetable seeds. After properly preparing my beds (that’s another article I’ll share soon), I proceeded to plant using the advice gleaned from my little paperback book.

Needless to say, the vegetables were stunning that year and every year thereafter. Here are a few glimpses into what you can expect if you find this book:

Nasturtiums planted with squash will keep away squash bugs, but be sure to give the flowers a head start since the squash will grow more quickly.

Tomatoes, interplanted with marigolds, will grow and produce better.
Marigolds also discourage nematodes from potatoes and strawberries, and protect beans from the Mexican bean beetle. The plants with a strong odor in both foliage and blossom are considered the most useful.

Cucumbers and corn are friends. Cucumbers are offensive to raccoons while corn seemingly protects the cucumbers against the virus that causes wilt.

Carrots grow well with tomatoes but dislike dill and apples.

This fantastic little book covers everything from Absinthium to Yucca and many, many species in between. I highly recommend Ms. Riotte’s book as you plan your 2004 vegetable garden. A revised edition can be purchased at Booksamillion for as little as $10.02 if you’re a club member, as I am, or Amazon.com for $10.47. Enjoy the discovery of companion planting in your garden this year. Happy Gardening.